Japan evacuations begin

by Emily DUNBAR on March 18, 2011

The USA has begun evacuating citizens from Japan due to fears about radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. A government charted plane took 100 people from Tokyo to Taiwan last night, most of who are thought to be relatives of government workers.

China and France have also shipped their citizens out in their thousands, while Australia and the UK have taken less dramatic action and just advised people to leave. The moves come as Wednesday saw a third explosion at the plant which was badly damaged after the earthquake and tsunami a week ago.

Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama has sought to calm fears in the US by announcing that the radiation is not expected to reach their shores. Speaking from the White House on Thursday, he expressed his sympathy of the Japanese public, who he described as one of America’s closest allies.

He also expressed regret that the problems with the nuclear facility after the tsunami have raised questions about the future of Japan’s “peaceful energy” programme. As runs on iodine and potassium pills have been seen across a number of countries, the President also told Americans that staying informed is the precautionary measure they require.

There is currently a 20km exclusion zone around the Fukushima plant, but the US is providing evacuation services for anyone living within 50 miles of the facility. France, however, is flying out all those who want to leave from Tokyo and northern Japan as a whole.